Games like Pet Society: virtual pet and life-simulation alternatives

What should you look for in a game like Pet Society?

Pet Society combines five things: caring for a pet (feeding, cleaning, playing), furnishing its home, a town with shops, progress through levels and a social side with friends. You can sort the games below with those five criteria, because some focus on caring, others on furnishing and others on socializing.

Which games are Pet Society’s siblings on FB Games?

FB Games has other browser editions, all in beta. Restaurant City, by Playfish, lets you customize your chef, hire a cook and a waiter and serve customers; it comes from the same original studio as Pet Society. CityVille, by Zynga, is about building a city with houses, businesses, plots and rents.

Zombie Lane, by Digital Chocolate, mixes farming and survival: defend your house from zombies and help your neighbors. Car Town, by Cie Games, lets you buy and paint cars. Wild Ones Rebirth, by Playdom, shares pets with Pet Society but not the genre: you fire in turns on destructible maps.

Which virtual pet and life games were on Facebook: YoVille, PetVille and The Sims Social?

YoVille, by Tall Tree Games (later Zynga), appeared in May 2008 for browser and Facebook: a life simulation with an avatar, a home and pets. PetVille, by Zynga, came out in December 2009 on Facebook and is about raising and dressing a pet. The Sims Social, by Playfish and published by EA, came out in August 2011 on Facebook as a social simulation.

We do not check whether they are still available; see each official site.

Which virtual pet games started on the web: Neopets, Webkinz and Moshi Monsters?

Neopets, created by Adam Powell and Donna Williams in 1999, is a virtual pet game on the web. Webkinz, by Ganz, came out in 2005 and ties its virtual pets to plush toys. Moshi Monsters, by Mind Candy, came out in 2008 and is a children’s world of pet monsters.

They resemble Pet Society in the virtual pet idea, but they were born on the web rather than on Facebook, and each has its own rules.

What else did Playfish, the Pet Society studio, make?

Playfish made more social games of that era for Facebook: Restaurant City and Country Story (both 2009), Hotel City (2010) and The Sims Social (2011). Of that list, Restaurant City also has an FB Games edition, in beta like Pet Society, so it is the way to stay with the same studio here.

How do you choose: caring, furnishing or socializing?

If you like caring for a pet, Pet Society lets you feed, clean and play with it; PetVille is about raising and dressing it, and Neopets and Webkinz revolve around virtual pets.

To furnish and set up your space, Pet Society gives you a home with a chest and rooms, YoVille a life with an avatar and a home, and Restaurant City a place to furnish. To socialize, Pet Society has friends, home visits and a chat with Global, your-language and private channels; The Sims Social is a social simulation.

What makes this Pet Society different, and what does it lack?

This edition is independent, free and in beta, with an account of its own and no Facebook. Progress from the original game is not imported. The game comes in eight languages, though the website only in English and Spanish.

We are also clear about what is missing: fishing, the stadium, cooking, growing plants, digging and gifts between players are not available yet. If you want a complete game today, look closely at what each alternative offers.